UN Report highlights humanitarian concerns in East Jerusalem

Two of the three children of the Taryaki family, whose house was was demolished in 2009. Their new home was rebuilt by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). Credit: JC Tordai

Today a team from OCHA’s office in the occupied Palestinian territory presented to humanitarian partners in New York the report 'East Jerusalem: Key Humanitarian Concerns'. The report focuses the humanitarian impact of Israeli policies on an estimated 270,000 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. According to the report, these policies risk undermining the Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem in the long-term.

Measures such as the Israel West Bank Barrier limit Palestinian access to basic services, such as education and health. They also limit the local population’s right to plan and develop communities, and to freely choose to live in East Jerusalem as an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory.

East Jerusalem, traditionally the hub of Palestinian healthcare, education, social, economic and religious activity, has become increasingly isolated from the rest of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Nonetheless, it continues to be the centre of life for Palestinians, despite their increasing vulnerability.

The Report stresses that Palestinians must be able to exercise their fundamental rights, including the rights to freedom of movement, work, housing, health, education and freedom of worship. It provides specific recommendations to mitigate key concerns around the most urgent needs, and concludes that the Government of Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible under international law for meeting the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the remainder of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.